What the obsession with Bill Belichick's girlfriend says about us
The sexism and misogyny baked into the American media's fascination with Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
The Living South was created by journalist Billy Ball in 2025. Every Tuesday, I write about the most interesting stories, people, and thoughts in the American South. Want to republish something in The Living South? Write me. If you like The Living South, share it with your friends. That's how we grow.
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This week, there was a photo splashed anywhere the internet is, of Bill Belichick's girlfriend Jordon Hudson. She stood in a pair of short gym shorts and a crop top. She was pumping gas and looked like she'd come from the gym.
"Bill Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, flaunts toned physique while showing off new $100K Mercedes" read the headline.
In another recent story, Hudson looked on from the stands at a UNC game. She's photographed wearing a mini-dress and white boots. "Legs and style at UNC game" went the headline.
Another story this week revolved around a single image of Belichick appearing to pull a coat tightly over Hudson. The headline supposed that Belichick was being "paternal" about Hudson's "skimpy outfit choice."
I'm not linking to any of these stories because they don't deserve the clicks. But they're out there.
For the last year, the hiring of Belichick—a legendary NFL coach—at North Carolina's flagship university has been big news in the South and anywhere that cares about football. Of course it has. Belichick won more Super Bowls than any NFL coach ever.
But running alongside the football story has been the other story—the soap opera about Belichick, a 73-year-old man in a romantic relationship with Hudson, a 24-year-old cheerleader and beauty pageant contestant from Maine.
Whatever you think about the age difference between Belichick and Hudson, the story—and the coverage of it—has revealed more about the state of American media and us than it has about them.
It's as sexist as ever, a misogynist's parade. In this world, women are manipulative minxes or hapless schoolgirls. For 12 months, the media hasn't been able to decide if Belichick is a pervert or a victim of elder abuse; or, concurrently, whether Hudson is a gold-digging temptress or a cradle that just got robbed.
